Turnover Intentions and Desire Among Executives

Abstract

We propose a typology of turnover intentions that uses desire to stay and intent to stay with the firm. The typology has four categories, leavers, stayers, locked-ins, and jilteds. Two questions are addressed. First, does the typology discriminate among executives empirically? Second, how do executives in one category differ from those in other categories? Using surveys from a sample of executives, we find empirical support for the typology. Results from three-category discriminant analysis indicate stayers are line employees characterized by high job satisfaction, integration into the management team, and perception that the company provides employment security. Leavers are more likely to be staff employees and have the opposite opinions of stayers about their jobs. Jilted executives are distinguished by moderate seniority, high outside career opportunity, and somewhat low inside career opportunity. The results suggest development of a non-linear model of unplanned turnover.

Perceived career incentives and intent to leave

“…Despite the fact that the IS labor market was tight when the survey instruments were administered, our empirical results indicated the importance of job security, consistent with Liou's [27] empirical finding that detention case workers' turnover intention was negatively correlated with the perceived job security. Gaertner and Nollen [12] also found a negative relationship between turnover tendency and job security. This appears to reflect the notion that ''some employees will stay despite belowmarket pay if their company adheres to a history of providing safe, stable work and perhaps a set of perquisites like a 4-day workweek and reserved parking'' [36].…”

Understanding Executive Job Search

“…4 Veiga (1981) used self-reported measures similar to intentions to quit as the measure of the propensity of managers to leave. Gaertner and Nollen (1992) explore the variables that distinguish four groups of executives based on their intent to leave. Weil and Kimball (1995) use retrospective, self-reported data on the causes for leaving.…”

An examination of the nature of the relationship between Leader-Member-Exchange (LMX) and turnover intent at different organizational levels

“…Tett and Meyer (1993) defined turnover intent as ''a conscious and deliberate willfulness to leave the organization'' (p. 261) while Gaertner and Nollen (1992) explained it as ''a behavioral intention resulting from company policies, labor market characteristics and employee perceptions'' (p. 448). Steel and Ovalle (1984) argue that employee's intent to stay or leave a job is the final cognitive step in the decision making process of voluntary turnover.…”